In today’s EBC graduate interview, Niko tells us about his experience taking the Trinity CertTESOL course and how it helped him make a career change from television production to teaching English in Spain.
In today’s EBC graduate interview, Niko tells us about his experience taking the Trinity CertTESOL course and how it helped him make a career change from television production to teaching English in Spain.
A course that meets you where you’re at
The EBC Trinity CertTESOL course is a great fit for both experienced English teachers and newbies to the TEFL world. If you’re coming in with previous teaching experience and want to specialise in teaching English as a foreign language, then this course will equip you to do just that. If you’re working in finance but are looking for a career change and want to teach English in Spain, then this course is going to help you make it happen.
The EBC Trinity CertTESOL course will meet you where you are at. I will help you become an effective English teacher. And Niko’s experience taking the course is the perfect example of just that.
Career change: Why Niko made the switch
In our recent graduate interview with Niko, he told us about his inspiring career change journey. With a background in television production, he decided to get Trinity CertTESOL certification so he could teach English in Spain.
“I was living in England for a couple of years and I finished my degree (in) television broadcast there,” he shared. “And, you know, then COVID kind of happened and I was planning on getting a work visa and staying in England. But (it) didn’t work out.
“So I’ve been back in America for a couple of years and as much as it is still a dream of mine. Like to make movies and direct and maybe act and all those things. I like voice acting. That was something I was trying to go into, but it’s very difficult. The kind of thing that gave me the push was just that it had been a couple of years out of graduation. I was doing the thing that still is my passion, but I just was in the same entry-level position.”
Career change: Finding a new path
He then went on to share what his schedule was like working in television production, saying, “The sets and everything were all over the place. Sometimes they’d be in Chicago. (Other times) I’d have to travel to Kentucky for them. Sometimes I’d have to travel and nothing was really paid for except for one time–housing, like a hotel was paid for.
“So, yeah, it was all of these things and then, after a couple of years, I just got a bit fed up. Because I was like, I’m not making a lot of money from this. They’re very long shifts and depending on the director, they (do) 15, 16 hour shifts. And you only sit down for lunch and I’ve had like just a couple.
“I haven’t had it in a while, probably a year I think now, but I remember several times when I was doing it. I just went, ‘I am exhausted, I’m sleep deprived, and I’m barely making enough money.’ That does this and it’s great being on a movie set, doing all those things. But I guess the push came after meeting a friend who lives in Spain. And I visited her and I just really liked the city and I could tell I was starting to pick up Spanish. I liked how things were going there and then I was only there for six weeks and then I came back.
Career change: A healthy push
“And I sort of just got this push of like, ‘Well, I could go there, learn a new language, start teaching, do all that. Or I can stay here and wait like months and months and months for either this acting thing or that and probably not get paid a lot and probably be stuck here for even longer.’
“So the push was just a really big desire to want to explore the world and travel. Also doing something that has more stability. And also helping people, which is something that I’ve always wanted to do is just help people. Give them skills that can help them achieve their goals, and I think–giving a foreigner (the) English language can help a lot of (people).”
Career change: Finding passion and purpose
Niko also shared that though he tried working in an office job. And it wasn’t for him either. “I’ve tried (an office job) for a little bit,” he said. “Regular office things and the only time I enjoyed it was when they said, ‘We’re doing a video. Can you do the voiceover for it?’ And I bet it only took me like an hour. Maybe an hour and a half. Honestly, maybe even less than that sometimes because it was just a five minute video.
“And then it was like, ‘Okay, now answer emails.’ And I was just sitting at the desk like this, like, No, this isn’t me. There (are) other people built for this kind of thing. Yeah, I’m just not. And, you know, in America, especially, that culture of the nine to five, so many people, they will throw away their passions. And all of the really great things they want to do just to make a lot of money and have that money when they’re 75 and can’t even enjoy it.
“(But) I’ve pretty much decided that, well, while I’m still young…while I am still full-bodied and abled, I want to see the world. Spain is, after England, I guess, my second stop. And now I am more looking forward to my future than I was (before).
Career change: Why Niko chose EBC
After hearing about EBC’s Road2Spain programme from a friend, Niko saw his opportunity to make the career change he had been eyeing.
“I think that my friend sent this to me because we were looking at options for how I can stay in Spain. And there were a couple of things that came my way,” he said. “And this was one that seemed interesting to me. (It) also it gives job security, which is something that I’ve been needing. So, I came to EBC basically also from looking at all the other options. This was the one that was cheapest and also had a program (that) gives you a year to be there.
“I don’t think I’ve seen, at least to my knowledge…I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of other programmes or whatever that do that. So everything about it was very enticing. It was a very affordable price for what you’re given. And yeah, of all the ones I’ve seen, it was the best value for the money.”
The EBC Road2Spain programme
The EBC Road2Spain programme is a package that gives you the 4-week online Trinity CertTESOL course and a one-year Spanish student visa with a Cervantes Institute-accredited school.
Under this programme, you can use your Trinity CertTESOL certification to teach English in Spain. Spanish immigration law allows student visa holders to work up to 30 hours a week directly with their visa. This is one of the reasons why the Road2Spain is such a great option for anyone wanting a career change and not just an extended vacation. It’s stable. You will be able to fund your stay in Spain.
You can read more about our Road2Spain programme here.
Career change: Niko’s Trinity CertTESOL course experience
In our interview with Niko, he also told us about his experience taking the course. He offered a unique perspective as someone ready to make a career change with the Trinity CertTESOL, with no background whatsoever in teaching.
“(My) overall experience was very good,” he said. “I am a complete newcomer to teaching. I’ve never taught before in my life. (It’s) a completely new thing for me. And everything in the course structured it in a very cohesive way that helped us learn.
“Even (for) someone (with) no background, (it gave us the) perspective of what the students will be like. Having us learn a foreign language. Showing us how to do lesson plans. Giving us practice lessons every week. Everything was very useful. Everything was very well-structured so that we’d get it at the right pace.
“And I also felt that everyone teaching us was very good at being patient (and) being understanding. And overall, I thought it was very useful and very good, (even) if you don’t have experience.”
Career change: Looking for consistency
Niko also specified what pushed him to pursue his career change. He told us that it was the search for something sustainable and consistent.
“I was doing television and broadcast for a while,” he said. “Yeah, I’d be doing production assistant things, like, helping. I was kind of going at that for a couple of years. My goal was to save up and hopefully move to somewhere in Europe–either England or whatever. (But) after a couple of years, after graduating, it wasn’t consistent.
“It wasn’t giving me a good inflow of money. I’d have maybe one month of a job and then three months of nothing. Yeah, and just sort of looking for something that would have more structure. (Something) that would be more viable for what I want to do with my life. A friend who lives in Spain recommended this teaching thing. And I sort of looked into it and I loved the sound of the programme.
“It was so much more affordable than all the other options that were possible and I’ve always liked teaching people new things. I’ve always liked, you know, presenting things…to present different cultures to different people. I like exploring that myself. So I really enjoyed the idea of being able to do that for other people. So that’s kind of (what) got me into it.”
Career change: Niko on his training with the Trinity CertTESOL course
Despite not having any previous teaching experience, Niko found that the course was a good fit for him. He told us about the training he received on his journey to make a career change.
“The training was very good,” he said. “It involved several sections in the different classes. So, there’d be four classes. And then there would be (a) part of that where we’d have an hour-long class that was taught completely in Polish.
“(That) was done to put us in the perspective of the students we’d be teaching. There was another section during the lessons on Monday through Wednesday where we would talk about the assignments that (would) be due for the week. And then there were other ones (where we would) talk about lesson planning and then (we would) actually teach two days a week.
“That was very good training because it was again, structured in a way where we were able to execute all of these different tasks and also get a very good idea of how we can teach by just putting us in as a teacher role. So training was very well-done in that way.”
Career change: Niko’s takeaways from the course
As someone who took the course to make a career change, without any background as a teacher, Niko shared that one of his biggest takeaways from the course was a change in his perspective on the teaching profession.
“(One of my) biggest takeaways I think would be that teaching is not just about…it’s not like other jobs,” he said. “Well, there are other jobs like this, but it’s not like a lot of other jobs where you go do your work, then you go home and that’s it. And then you don’t have to really think about it until you walk into work the next day.
“It definitely requires a lot of thought process and a lot of time where, you know, most people would be off work and relaxing or doing whatever. It definitely (requires) a lot more time devoted to lesson planning, thinking about what you’re going to teach, to thinking about the students that you’re teaching, thinking about their target, their target language and their language of origin, where they’re coming from, and how to make (your classes) engaging.”
Teaching: More than meets the eye
“So there is quite a lot more to teaching. I think prior to this, I assumed the lesson plans were like…because I’ve known teachers that teach kindergarten and preschool, and that’s what they’ve always told me. But for adults, it’s quite different because they’re coherent enough to know when you make a mistake.
“So I guess the biggest takeaway is that all the devotion that’s required outside. It’s very much something that needs to be focused on when you get into this.”
Career change: How the course met Niko’s expectations
As for how the course met Niko’s expectations, he said:
“I think that’s so awesome because you come into teaching and you feel prepared to actually, you know, start your own lesson planning and take on a class.
“(I) was nervous at first, again because with no experience, I imagined it would just be everyone else doing what they were doing and I’m just like, ‘What?’ (But) it was great that they still took the time to help when I was confused about something.
“And by the end of it, I now know how to make a lesson plan, how to structure it, (and) how to manage time a bit better. How to engage the students better, which is something that, again, I was never sure I’d get even with this course. So having it after that is something that is very good.”
Career change: Niko on his teaching practice sessions
Whether you’re looking for a career change or you want to add to your teaching skills, the Trinity CertTESOL course gives all teacher trainers practical teaching practice sessions. Niko told us about his experience with these sessions and how they built his confidence as a teacher.
“It was a rough start as I was, again, visibly nervous in the first, like, one or two,” he shared. However, he got the hang of things quickly.
“I’m not used to being the person…the spearheader,” he said. (But) the more that you do it, the more that you get comfortable with that, and the more everything kind of becomes automatic in a pattern. It builds your confidence as it goes.
“And also, I think the students being older adults sometimes helps with that.Mainly because they have some kind of understanding that you’re new. That you’re still learning. So having them be patient was helpful. Having all the resources given to us. I think by the second to last and the last one, I was starting to be more confident.
I was starting to be better with talking to the students and presenting things in a way that was more understandable (to) them.”
Career change: Would Niko recommend the course and why?
When we asked Niko if he would recommend the course, he said, “A hundred percent. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that either is looking for a career change. Or looking to travel, looking to expand their repertoire in terms of what they need. You know, their skills and everything.
“I would very much recommend it also even (to) people who are teaching. Because it structures English teaching for a foreign language in a way that I don’t think you can really get self-taught with just the way that it’s organized, and how great the people are. The students were all fantastic. Teachers were all fantastic and helpful. So I would very much recommend this course to anyone that’s interested in it.”
Enrol with us today
If you’re like Niko and you’ve been wanting to make a career change, be inspired by his EBC Road2Spain story. Talk to us today and we’ll help you get started.
